


By the Light of the Moon

by FruitofSorrow



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Fluff, Idiots in Love, M/M, Pining, Sexual Tension, frenemies to lovers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-14
Updated: 2020-01-14
Packaged: 2021-02-27 06:41:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,349
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22252762
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FruitofSorrow/pseuds/FruitofSorrow
Summary: "The one rule that had always kept him sane was simple: do not become too invested. That meant keeping an arm’s distance from people and problems, and other people’s problems, too. If it didn’t concern him, he avoided it.But this was different. Hinata wasn’t supposed to cry. He was supposed to be the flickering light in the sky, obstinately shining even when the moon reared its face. Hinata Shouyo was supposed to always be happy. Smiling. Because if he wasn’t…if he wasn’t…then Tsukishima would get dragged into the darkness alongside him."Or Tsukishima and Hinata are stranded on an island--alone-- and things get a little heated.
Relationships: Hinata Shouyou/Tsukishima Kei
Comments: 9
Kudos: 192





	By the Light of the Moon

“Come on, Kageyama! Let’s go to the caves together!”

“No.”

“Why not?”

Tsukishima looked up his sunglasses, irritation brewing inside his chest. It was late and they’d been at the beach for the better part of the day, soaking up what little sunshine they could, and he was tired. When it finally looked like they would start to leave and Tsukki could finally move on with his life away from the chaos that prevailed at Karasuno—in large part due to the volleyball team—Hinata Shouyo decided to stand in the way of that long-anticipated peace. 

"This is our last chance to hang out before we all go our separate ways!" Hinata whined, tugging on Kageyama's arm to pull him up from his crisscrossed position on the sand. 

“We explored the islands earlier. It’s not my problem if you didn’t get to check off every item on your itinerary.”

Hinata pouted. “You’re so lame,” he whined. “Fine. I’ll go by myself.” 

He dropped Kageyama’s arm and stomped his way to the edge of the water where they’d left the rental jet skis.

“Shouldn’t somebody stop him?” Yamaguchi asked beside Tsukki. “We’ll be heading back soon.”

“You’re the captain,” Tsukishima shrugged. “You do it.” 

Tsukishima leaned back on the sand, arms behind his head. He thought he heard Yamaguchi sigh, but his best friend didn’t say another word. 

Besides, Tsukishima thought, once Hinata got an idea, it was damned near impossible to dissuade him from seeing it through.

“Don’t get lost, idiot!” Kageyama called out to Hinata as soon as the engine roared to life and he started to pull away from the shoreline. 

"Haha," Hinata laughed dryly. "You wish."

With one last rev of the engine, Hinata was off, and Tsukishima didn’t bother to watch as he disappeared into the distance. 

_He’ll be fine_ , he said to himself. But the tight coil he felt in the pit of his stomach was telling him something different.

*

The sky was turning gray, and Tsukki was stuffing his rolled-up beach towel in his bag when Yachi appeared beside him, a deep furrow in her brow. Tsukki didn’t ask her what was wrong; it was probably not his business anyway.

“Hinata hasn’t answered my messages,” she said suddenly, looking back out at the water as though it held all the answers she was looking for. “It’s been almost half an hour since I texted him saying we were heading back soon.”

Tsukki swallowed thickly. “You know how he is. He marches to the beat of his own drum, even when it inconveniences the rest of us.”

Yachi frowned. “I know, but I’m getting worried. The sky looks like it will fall at any moment. What if he gets stuck in the storm? Somebody has to go look for him.”

The way she phrased that last part made Tsukki want to bury his head in the sand. _No way_ , he thought. _There is no way_ I’m _the one going after him._

“Kageyama and Yamaguchi went up the hill to return the volleyball equipment and won’t be back for a while,” Yachi added to emphasize that she wanted Tsukki to be the one who retrieved their clumsy crow. There was no way he could go on pretending he didn’t understand her when the message was so clear. 

“I—” he started to say, a resolute ’no’ on the tip of his tongue. Just then, the sky split open and a tremor rocked the earth. 

Tsukki felt a tug on the short sleeve of his shirt, and he looked down to see a very tearful Yachi with lips practically quivering. 

Tsukishima ran his fingers through his hair. “You’re not really giving me a choice,” he said with indignation. 

Yachi switched the puppy-dog eyes to maximum.

“Alright. I’ll go,” Tsukki said, throwing his hands up in the air, resigned. “But I won’t promise to bring him back in one piece.”

Hinata would be lucky to not get pushed into the water by Tsukishima himself once he got a hold of him.

Yachi’s lips quirked up into a smile. “Thank you so much!”

Tsukki cleared his throat and shifted his weight onto the other foot. “D-don’t thank me yet.”

He handed his knapsack over to Yachi and put on a button-up shirt to cover his exposed skin from the wind. It was a poor substitute for a jacket, but anything was better than wearing nothing.

“I’ll try to get us back before sunset,” he said as he put on his life vest. 

Yachi nodded and watched him trudge over to the foreshore where the jet ski Kageyama had ridden on earlier was perfectly stationary.

Tsukki got on the vehicle and drove off, the spray of the water hitting his legs and arms. His eyes were set on the third small island in the distance where he knew the caves were supposed to be. It was about the size of a baseball stadium, and supposedly, the caves led down to a series of short tunnels. It was nothing elaborate, but it was rumored that they used to serve as a sort of bunker for pirates back in the day. Knowing Hinata, he’d probably gone in hopes of finding some long-lost treasure map. 

Tsukishima rolled his eyes. 

“What an idiot,” he mumbled to himself. 

It took him only seven or so minutes to reach the island, and by the time he hit land, it had already started to drizzle lightly. Just in case the weather worsened and Tsukki and Hinata weren’t back soon, he retrieved a rope from the compartment under his seat and tied the jet ski to a small tree by the water’s edge.

A gust of wind blew past him, and he stumbled back, pulling his vest tighter around him.

Tsukki followed the signs that pointed inland. Below a wooden arrow directing him toward the caves, there was a sign of caution to tourists with a warning about getting lost within. 

His eyes immediately went to the cave’s mouth. At first glance, there were no discernible movements inside. Tsukki almost started to think Hinata had probably gotten mixed up and landed on another island altogether when he spotted something small and glimmering in the dirt by the cave. 

He walked over to pick it up, and sure enough, it was Hinata’s volleyball charm. The one he and Kageyama had bought in a pair to hang on their phones. The short cord had snapped clean. 

“Shit.”

Tsukki clenched the charm in his fist. 

_So the idiot really did go in there, huh?_

_**_

Tsukishima shone the light of his phone on the walls in front of him as he slowly ventured deeper into the darkness.

“Hinata,” he called out, keeping his voice level in case there were animals inside seeking cover from the incoming storm. He didn’t want to risk having a colony of bats flying at him, or worse, wild foxes lunging for his bare legs.

A small rock fell somewhere and the noise it made when it hit the ground echoed all around him. He stopped walking. 

“Hinata?” he said again. 

There was no answer.

Tsukishima wasn’t easily scared. In fact, he was one of the few people he knew who could sit through just about any horror movie, but that didn’t mean he had no sense of self-preservation. He continued to move cautiously.

When he hit a fork in the road, Tsukishima was forced to stop again. 

“Just great,” he said, gritting his teeth. “Now what?”

He had two choices. Stay back and wait for Hinata to come to him. Or go blindly into one of the tunnels and not only hope that he wouldn’t get lost, but also that it’d be the route the shorter boy had taken.

It’d be counterintuitive to back down now that he’d come so far, but he also didn’t want to complicate matters. 

Tsukishima let out a sigh. 

_Ok. I’ll go into each tunnel only part of the way. If he doesn’t answer back the first time, I’ll retrace my steps and try the other._

He turned left, flashing his phone light up and down and side to side. The tunnel was cool and humid, and the air felt thin. He didn't know for how much longer the tunnel would stretch, but since the island wasn't very big, to begin with, he supposed it wouldn't be a long trek. His only true concern was that the caves might extend farther out into the sea itself.

“Hinata. Are you here?”

His voice bounced against the walls and returned to him. He waited a moment before calling out again, but the shorter boy still didn’t respond. After almost five minutes, he decided to turn back around. Having come this way already, he walked with more confidence.

As he was making it back to the chamber where the cavern forked, Tsukishima rounded the corner into the second tunnel and collided with something moving toward him.

Tsukishima stumbled backward, pulse racing. He flashed his light in front of him. 

“Hinata?”

“Tsukishima? What are you doing here?” Hinata shielded his eyes. “Lower that thing, would you?”

Tsukishima pointed the phone down. “What do you think I’m doing? I came to find you. Didn’t you get Yachi’s message?”

Hinata’s lips tugged downward. “My phone sorta died,” he said, voice quivering.

“Hey. Are you alright?” Tsukishima said, noticing Hinata’s glower tone. He stepped forward and grabbed Hinata’s arm. He was wet and cold as ice. 

“I accidentally fell into an underground lake,” he explained sheepishly. “As soon as I got myself out, I turned around to leave, but I couldn’t remember my way back. I’d been walking around for a while when I thought I heard a voice. I guess that was you.”

Tsukishima's eyes softened. He didn't think Hinata could see it, but he'd rather die than let the other boy know how concerned he was, so it worked out.

“Let’s hurry back. A storm is coming,” he said abruptly.

Hinata only nodded. 

Without letting go of Hinata’s arm, Tsukishima led them both back out the cavern. 

"I hope you have a plan," Hinata told them as they stared out into the sea. The sky was completely covered in dark clouds, the rain was pouring by the buckets, and the ocean was swaying wildly. If they hopped on the jet ski now, the water would probably churn them to a pulp.

Tsukishima clenched his jaw.

“This is your fault.”

“Mine?” Hinata said, turning a fiery gaze at him. “I’m not the god of water and storms. How the hell is this my fault?”

"If you hadn't come all this way in the first place, we'd be on our way back to Miyagi right about now. Instead, we're caught in a storm on a remote island with nowhere to go, and at this rate, you'll—"

He cut himself off. _Probably die from hypothermia._

Tsukki wanted to believe he was just being paranoid, but one look at the shivering shorty, and all of a sudden he wasn't sure.

Hinata’s brows pinched together. “Like I was supposed to know it’d get this bad,” he muttered to himself.

“That’s the problem, isn’t it?” Tsukishima shouted at him. Hinata’s eyes rounded. Tsukishima was always angry but he rarely raised his voice, and especially not at his teammates. “You never think, do you?”

Hinata’s bottom lip trembled, but Tsukki didn’t know if it was from the cold or something else. His brown eyes turned to the ground, eyelashes fanning his cheeks. He mumbled something under his breath.

“What was that?” Tsukishima demanded to know. If Hinata had cussed him out—

“I said I’m sorry!” Hinata shouted back. “Okay? I’m sorry I came to this island. I’m sorry I fell into the water and that my phone died. And I’m sorry you had to come all this way to get me. It’s all my fault.”

When he’d woken up this morning, Tsukishima had pretty much expected to be soaked from top to bottom by the day’s end. Swimming at the beach, riding the jet ski on the waves, getting drenched by the rain. Those were all normal things his logical self could have predicted. But never had he thought he’d be completely submerged in Hinata’s tears, too. His heart felt suffocated—like it was drowning.

Hinata sniffled, rivulets of salty water rolling down his face. 

“H-hey,” Tsukishima said, tentatively reaching for him. “Don’t—”

Tsukki drew his hand back like he was recoiling from a flame. He wasn’t good at this. Tsukishima had never needed to comfort anyone before. No one really expected it from him. Not Yamaguchi in middle school when he was getting pushed around by the bigger kids. And not even Akiteru when he was struggling to find a place on the Karasuno volleyball team. Tsukishima simply didn’t know what to do—how to approach a person and offer them kind words or a shoulder to lean on. Nor had he ever really wanted to.

The one rule that had always kept him sane was simple: do not become too invested. That meant keeping an arm’s distance from people and problems, and other people’s problems, too. If it didn’t concern him, he avoided it.

But this was different. Hinata wasn’t supposed to cry. He was supposed to be the flickering light in the sky, obstinately shining even when the moon reared its face. Hinata Shouyo was supposed to always be happy. Smiling. Because if he wasn’t…if he wasn’t… then Tsukishima would get dragged into the darkness alongside him. 

“Stop crying,” Tsukishima said awkwardly. He reached out again to touch Hinata’s shoulder. “Let’s go back inside to wait the storm out. Maybe the others will find a way to get to us before then.”

Hinata rubbed his eyes with the back of one arm, sniffling viciously as though fighting against his own tears. Then he nodded.

***

Inside, Tsukki looked for a spot to sit down, but it all looked the same to him so he plopped down close to the cave’s mouth where he could still see the outside but wouldn’t get nipped by the wind or splashed by rain. Hinata looked at the empty space beside him as though weighing his options, but his body turned toward the opposite wall.

“Don’t be stupid,” Tsukishima said, immediately biting his tongue. He hadn’t meant to sound so caustic. He cleared his throat. “You’re freezing. You need to conserve your body heat.”

Hinata’s eyebrows drew together. “Huh?”

Tsukki rolled his eyes and patted the dirt. “Take off your shirt.”

Hinata spluttered something nonsensical. 

“You’ll never get warm with that on,” he said, waving his hand at Hinata’s soaked clothes. “You’ll probably have to take your swim shorts off too.”

The shorter boy’s hands immediately went to cover his crotch. “N-no way.” It was too dark to see properly, but Tsukishima had heard that squeaky voice too many times to know that Hinata was embarrassed.

Tsukishima sighed. “It’s really up to you, but I’m not letting you sidle up next to me in that state.”

Hinata bit his bottom lip. His fingers twisted together nervously. After a moment, his shoulders dropped, his hands fell to his sides, and he plopped down beside Tsukishima. 

“Just…don’t look.”

Tsukishima nodded shortly, but he couldn't help feel a little jolt of something rush through him at the idea of a mostly naked Hinata sitting within touching distance. He didn't know whether to be excited or disgusted and yet somehow he felt both deep within his bones.

There was a rustle of clothes beside him and then a wet plop as Hinata splayed his shirt and shorts flat on the ground. Tsukki decided that he could at least let Hinata have his life vest so he unbuckled the straps and pulled it off.

“Here,” he said, not looking at Hinata as he handed it over.

“Thanks,” the other boy mumbled.

It was awkwardly silent save for the wild rustle of leaves outside and the swelling pitter-patter of rain.

Tsukki reached into his pocket for his phone and saw that Yachi had sent him an update on their rescue efforts. As it turned out, there was no coast guard to speak of so they couldn’t go to any proper channels for help, but Yamaguchi had seen a couple of fishing boats out at sea earlier in the day so they were heading down to the docks to see if anyone was still around who could help. Yachi promised to tell him more once they made some headway.

“How much longer do you think it will be?” Hinata said, his teeth chattering.

Tsukishima glanced down to his side, forgetting that Hinata had divested all but one article of clothing. He felt his cheeks grow hot. 

Hinata’s exposed legs were pulled up to his chest, and his arms were wrapped around the knees. All Tsukki could see was an expanse of smooth skin––much much more of Hinata’s skin than he’d ever seen before. But that wasn’t what caught him off guard the most. On a normal day, Hinata was fair-skinned, but his complexion now looked sickly blue. Tsukishima felt a rush of adrenaline pump through him.

“Take it off!” he said urgently, getting on his knees and unbuttoning his own shirt. “Take it all off!”

Dazed, Hinata’s glassy eyes rounded and he nodded. Slowly, his legs stretched out in front of him and his hands moved to the straps of the vest, but he was too slow. Much too slow. 

Tsukishima stopped what he was doing to help him, and when both of them were bare from the waist up, he pulled Hinata flush against him and draped his shirt around his shoulders.

Hinata was ice cold, and his breath felt shallow against his neck.

_Dammit,_ Tsukishima thought, mind working a mile a minute to find a solution to their problem. If he didn’t find a way to get Hinata warm, he feared the worst would happen. 

_Tch._

This wasn’t what he had signed up for.

“Tsukki—” Hinata mumbled. 

Tsukishima’s ears perked. At least it didn’t look like Hinata was losing consciousness. He’d have to make sure he stayed awake.

“What?”

There was a beat.

“Sorry,” Hinata said weakly, and Tsukishima’s heart stuttered.

_No_ , he thought, anger bubbling up inside of him. _Don’t you dare show weakness now. Not you._

He pulled Hinata closer, and against prior reservations, began to smooth his hand up and down Hinata’s back to warm him. The shorter boy only wrapped his arms around Tsukki’s waist and turned his head so that his cheek pressed against his shoulder. His eyes drooped.

“Stay with me,” Tsukki said. “Don’t fall asleep.”

Hinata nodded almost inscrutably, but Tsukishima felt it. He also felt the way Hinata’s fingers knotted together behind him as though all his strength were concentrated at his fingertips, whatever of it remained anyway. 

Tsukki moved his hands to Hinata’s thighs and guided one leg over his lap so that Hinata was straddling him—knees still on the dirt. It wasn’t very comfortable, but it was the best they could manage. The important thing was that their body heat transferred.

When Tsukki saw Hinata start to nod off, he grabbed the boy’s jaw with one hand and tilted his head up. Their faces were so close their breaths mingled.

“Talk to me,” he said, hoping that if they maintained a conversation, Hinata would be able to better ward off sleep.

“About what?”

Tsukishima drew a blank. “I don’t know. Anything. Volleyball.”

Hinata cracked a tired smile. “You really do think that’s all I care about, huh?”

Tsukishima’s lips pressed into a line, not quite understanding his meaning.

“I’m not so obsessed with volleyball that it’s all I’d want to talk about on my deathbed.”

“You’re not dying,” Tsukishima said, a little irritated.

Hinata chuckled lowly. “What I’m saying is I care about other things too, you know.”

Tsukki breathed out steadily, relieved that his plan was working even though Hinata was a dumbass and conversation was the last thing he wanted to have with him. “Like what?”

“Family, of course,” Hinata said like Tsukki was an idiot for not realizing even that much. “And friends.”

Tsukishima swallowed. 

“That includes you, Stingyshima.” Hinata laughed, but it didn’t vibrate in his chest as powerfully as usual. 

Tsukishima could have bitten back with an insult, but that hollow sound gave him pause. “Not the nicest thing to say to the person trying to save your hide.”

It was silent for a moment, and then a deep sigh passed through Hinata’s dry, cracked lips.

“No, I guess not,” Hinata said, turning his face. He pressed his mouth against Tsukishima’s shoulder and stayed there, unmoving.

For a second, Tsukishima thought he’d fallen asleep, and he held his breath. 

"Hey," Hinata said suddenly, the words muffled against his skin. Something was coloring his voice—something shaky and uncertain. 

Tsukki leaned in closer, afraid he’d miss Hinata’s next words.

“I do care for you,” the shorter boy said at last. “A lot.”

Tsukishima felt his blood start to pump harder in his veins. There was a whooshing in his ears—a pounding in his temples. 

“I like you,” Hinata continued, drowsy. “I’ve liked you for a while. I guess… I just didn’t want to admit it to myself, much less _you._ ”

Without realizing it, Tsukishima’s hands gripped Hinata’s thighs harder. 

Never had he thought these would be the words Hinata chose to tell him on his supposed "deathbed." If anything, he'd been under the impression that Hinata harbored a not-so-secret love for Kageyama. The way the two were always doing things together that mere friends would not, like buying identical phone charms, gave him more than enough reason to believe it. 

Besides, Tsukki had never been particularly nice to him, so what was the basis for Hinata’s confession? On what was his crush founded?

_Does it matter?_ said a voice in his head. 

Here Hinata was, telling him he _liked_ him, and not in that platonic way that Tsukki could pretend to scoff at. This was serious. This was the real thing. He wasn’t just imagining it.

“I—” he started to say, but cut himself short when he realized he had no idea how to respond.

“You don’t have to say it back,” Hinata told him, lifting his face to fix his molten gaze on him. It was the most energized he’d seemed since they began their wait. Was he finally feeling himself again?

“Can I ask for something?”

Tsukki’s face inched down, startled. Hinata was biting his bottom lip, and his hands were fisted against his chest. He looked small and fragile.

“Can I kiss you?”

****

Tsukishima blinked slowly, lips parted into a small ‘o.’

With knitted brows, Hinata watched his expression change. Then he turned his eyes down to avert his gaze, but because they were pressed together, that meant he had nowhere to look except at Tsukki’s bare chest. When this little detail registered, Tsukishima thought he saw Hinata’s face turn crimson. 

Under other circumstances, this would have been the moment when Tsukishima shoved Hinata backward and scrambled back to put distance between them, but he knew he couldn’t very well let go of him in this state.

“Forget it,” Hinata said, voice tremulous. “I just thought—”

“Wait,” Tsukishima interrupted. Hinata’s eyes flashed to his face, and Tsukishima swallowed dryly. “I was just… a little taken by surprise.”

He didn’t want to say more. Didn’t want to vocalize how much he really wanted to take Hinata’s face in his hands and press his mouth against his. Thinking about it was one thing. Feeling the urge to do it was another. But to actually kiss Hinata—something he’d resigned himself to believe would never happen—was on a whole other dimension of possibilities.

“So then…” Hinata let the words fade.

“I’ll do it,” Tsukishima said more resolutely. “I—”

Hinata’s eyes twinkled, eager. 

“I want to kiss you.”

There’d be no taking the words back. Hopefully, Tsukishima wouldn’t come to regret them. 

Hinata nodded, shifting in Tsukki’s lap. He still moved slowly, somewhat lethargic, but there was a renewed vigor in his mien. 

Carefully, Tsukishima’s hand went to cup Hinata’s face. He left it there a moment, thumbing the skin under the shorter boy’s eye, and then guided his face closer. Hinata’s slightly warmed breath hit his lips in short puffs. His eyes had slotted closed, a determined look on his face, but Tsukki could feel his heart pounding against his chest all the same. Hinata was just as nervous as he was, and it was a little comforting to know that.

Without thinking further on the matter, Tsukishima leaned in all the way and pressed their lips together. At first, the kiss was tentative, slow, and maybe the pace couldn’t be helped seeing the condition Hinata was in, but then the shorter boy reached up to grip Tsukishima’s hair, and the kiss grew fiercer and more desperate. 

Tsukishima pulled him in by the waist. Their bodies were so close that Hinata’s neck was craned at a strange, uncomfortable angle. Even while sitting in his lap, the vertical distance between their mouths was too great that Tsukki had to lean down to meet him halfway. 

Their tongues curled together, moving sensually, wet, and hot; and the taste, the heat, the friction was so good that Tsukki doubted there could be anything more blissful. Taking Hinata for his own was the very thing he’d wanted and yet had tried desperately to resist ever since joining the Karasuno volleyball club. He was the forbidden fruit, and now Tsukki was hooked .

Hinata pulled away with a small gasp, eyes barely open. "More," he said, and Tsukishima's mind was too clouded to get his meaning right away. He must've looked like an idiot, eyes unseeing and mouth opened like he was trying to catch flies, but Hinata didn't seem to care. He kissed him again, and the hand that wasn't on Tsukki's head trailed up his back, fingers leaving shallow scrapes in their wake. 

Then, something else unexpected happened. Hinata removed his hand from Tsukki’s short blond tresses and slipped it between their bodies, going down down down. Tsukishima only realized what he was doing when a breathy whine escaped Hinata’s lips. 

All of Tsukki’s blood rushed south; his head felt like it might start to spin. Hinata Shouyo was grinding down on Tsukki’s lap, kissing him, and touching himself all at the same time. 

This is what he had meant about wanting more, Tsukki realized, running his hands higher up Hinata's firm thighs. If only they were somewhere else, somewhere clean and warm, Tsukki would've pushed him backward and descended on him like a wolf devouring its prey. 

Suddenly, his clear-headed ego pushed its way to the forefront, demanding attention. It had grown angrier with each passing second that Tsukki had allowed himself to indulge in Hinata. It was telling him to pull away and snap out of it because this wasn't _him._ Tsukishima Kei couldn't stand Hinata Shouyo. Tsukishima Kei was too smart and too sophisticated to give in to his baser instincts. Tsukishima Kei was simply better than that.

For the first time in his life, Tsukki decided to pay the voice no mind. _That_ Tsukishima Kei was a bitter, cynical asshole. He was an idiot—

“Touch me,” Hinata cried. “Please, Kei.”

A primal sound ripped out of Tsukishima’s throat—a sound so distant and unrecognizable that it shattered the moment completely. With wild bewilderment, Tsukki leaned back to rake his eyes over every inch of Hinata’s face. He looked dazed, but not completely out of sorts. 

“W-what’s wrong?”

Tsukishima swallowed, trying to find his voice. “I-I can’t.”

The words fell flat. What he’d really meant to say was _I’m afraid_ , but no way in hell would he admit it out loud.

What was there to be afraid of anyway? That he’d do something wrong and scare Hinata off, perhaps. Or that he would not be able to recognize himself after all was said and done. Maybe, just maybe, he was afraid of what this would mean for the two of them. What exactly did Hinata hope would come from this? What was Tsukishima willing to give back? No—what was he _capable_ of _?_

“Tsukishima?”

Tsukki blinked away his thoughts. “I don’t think we should be doing this,” he said, steeling himself for Hinata’s reaction. He hoped against all odds that Hinata wouldn’t ask him for a reason when Tsukki wasn’t sure he knew the answer himself.

With a lightness that could make a grown man curl into a ball and cry, Hinata reached up to touch his face. They stared into one another's eyes. Fire clashing against ice. Light versus dark. The air crackled with forlorn energy that Tsukishima had never known before. It tasted sweet on his tongue.

"Ok," Hinata said softly. He swiped his thumb across Tsukki's lower lip and smiled. 

Tsukishima felt like he could walk on air. All of a sudden, all his doubts and worries fell away, placated. It was as though Hinata's touch had tamed the capricious animal trying to claw its way out of Tsukki's chest.

“When we get out of here,” Tsukki said, leaning in close. Hinata’s hand was warm now, but the craving he had for something else, something hotter, persisted. “When we get out of here, we’ll do this properly. Maybe.”

A small smile reappeared on Hinata’s lips. He nodded. And Tsukishima couldn’t hold himself back from diving in to capture his lips once more.

*****

Yachi’s message came just as the sun had dipped away for the night. The cave was completely dark except for the little moonlight that peeked inside, and Hinata was leaning back against Tsukki’s chest, feeling a little warmer now that the storm had passed.

“What does it say?” Hinata asked, playing with the long fingers of the hand Tsukki had rested on Hinata’s thigh.

“They’re almost here,” said Tsukki, quickly typing in a reply. “Yamaguchi has an extra set of clothes ready for you. He’ll come find us so you can change first.”

Hinata nodded. 

“What is it?” Tsukki said, eyes still glued to the screen. He could sense that something was up. “You don’t seem too enthused about getting rescued.”

“Of course I’m happy!” Hinata scoffed.I just wish...” He let the words hang.

Tsukki turned his phone over on the dirt and rested his chin on the top of Hinata’s head. “That we had more time to ourselves,” he finished saying for him. “I should have known your priorities would be scrambled. I suppose it’s not surprising. You almost died.”

Tsukki didn’t have to look to know that Hinata was pouting. It’s what he did when he couldn’t come up with a snide remark.

“You meant what you said, right?” Hinata said quietly. “About continuing where we left off.”

Tsukishima’s lips twitched, the corners pulling up. “Oh?”

Hinata twisted his body around to look him deeply in the eyes. He looked so determined it made Tsukki want to laugh. “Because I don’t want to put all my eggs in one basket if you’re going to be half-hearted about this. Especially since we’ll be on different sides of the planet in a few months.”

Tsukki swallowed a lump in his throat. “Hinata Shouyo,” he said, voice cracking. “Are you trying to tie me down?”

Hinata nodded, eyes burning. “Yes.”

Tsukishima had to consider him for a moment. Hinata’s eyes were as bright as when he stood on the court and the volleyball was soaring in his direction. In moments like those, Tsukki’s gaze would immediately go to the shorter boy and climb up his gorgeous mid-flight figure, only to marvel momentarily at Hinata’s expression of unbreakable concentration. Except for when Kageyama tossed him the ball, he never looked more serious. It was with that drive—that tangible intensity—that Hinata was looking at him now.

“I won’t be hurt if you turn me down,” Hinata said, running his hand up Tsukki’s chest to cup the back of his neck. “But if you say yes…” There was a twinkle in his eye. “I promise I’ll give my all to make it work. In spite of the distance.”

Tsukishima’s free hand balled into a fist. 

“So what will it be?”

Suddenly, Tsukishima phone vibrated. The light from the screen created a halo around the device as though the heavens had sent down some divine intervention in the form of a text message.

Tsukishima cleared his throat and turned it over. “They’re here,” he said, avoiding Hinata’s gaze. A hand touched his face, and the next thing he knew, Hinata was shoving his tongue in his mouth.

“Mmm,” he said, grabbing Hinata’s shoulders. But he didn’t push him away. He couldn’t. His body refused to comply.

When Hinata pulled back, a string of spit connecting their mouths, he licked his lips to clear it away and said: “Well?”

Tsukishima sighed, all fight leaving his body. “Alright.” 

Hinata pressed a quick kiss to his lips again. He smiled, all sunshine and rainbows. Business as usual. 

Tsukishima had no idea what he’d just gotten himself into.

******

On the boat, Tsukishima watched as Hinata punched Kageyama in the arm. 

“Stop fussing, Bakageyama. I’m fine now.”

Kageyama gave Hinata an unconvinced look, but he backed away from the disgruntled boy nevertheless. 

Tsukishima rolled his eyes. 

It had been irritatingly wholesome seeing Kageyama rush to Hinata’s side when they got on the fishing boat, with his eyebrows knitted together and a panicked look in his eyes that he tried to conceal with mean-spirited jibes. Tsukishima saw past the remarks even when Hinata couldn’t. He was simple-minded that way. 

And Hinata, who could charm his way into getting whatever he wanted, only had to smile brightly and feign normalcy to subvert any suspicions as to how the two of them had managed to keep warm when Hinata had no clothes on. The story they told was much tamer and more uneventful than the truth. It was foolproof. It had to be, seeing as how Tsukishima had engineered it himself.

“Tsukki, are you cold? Do you want my jacket? A beach towel? I can ask Yachi if—”

Tsukishima held his hand up to stop Yamaguchi’s panicked rambles. The ex-captain immediately shut his mouth and waited, seemingly frozen until Tsukki sighed and held out his hand to accept the boy’s green windbreaker.

Pleased, Yamaguchi slapped Tsukki’s arm cheerily and bounded away to where the other first years were gathered. Tsukki followed suit, stopping for a second only to bow to the fisherman who had helped them.

When he stopped between Yachi and Hinata, Kageyama’s eyes moved like a sensor detecting his movements to stare him down. Tsukishima had no idea what his problem was, but it was always a pleasure to irritate either member of the freak duo so he pushed his glasses farther up on his nose and fixed him a challenging sneer.

Kageyama’s eyes narrowed only for a moment until his attention was taken by something Hinata said. Before long, the two were bickering as usual.

“Thank you,” Yachi said softly. Tsukishima turned his head to see her looking up at him, eyes bright and rounded. “You brought him back in one piece.”

Tsukishima shrugged, nonchalant. “I was in a benevolent frame of mind. He got lucky.”

The corners of Yachi’s mouth quirked; there was a knowing glint in her eyes. Tsukki shifted his weight on one foot and averted his gaze. He coughed into a fisted hand. _Shit._ Had she seen through him?

“Hey! Did you hear what I said?” Hinata said, tugging on Tsukishima’s sleeve. 

“Of course he didn’t, idiot,” Kageyama spat. “He was speaking with Yachi-san.”

“Shut up, Bakageyama.”

“Guys, calm down,” Yamaguchi said, trying to intervene.

Tsukishima looked back and forth between all three of them, having no idea what was happening.

“Tell them,” Hinata said, reaching for his hand. Tsukki flinched and made to pull away, but Hinata grabbed him quickly. “Kageyama doesn’t believe that we’re dating?”

“HUH?” Tsukki said loudly. His brows pinched together. 

_Idiot. Idiot. Idiot. You weren’t supposed to say anything!_

Tsukishima tried to recall every detail of their conversation back in the cave. It wasn’t until he got to the last bit that he realized that he hadn’t explicitly said anything about keeping their new relationship a secret. He froze.

"See?" Kageyama said, looking awfully smug. "You misunderstood, as usual, idiot."

Hinata’s lips quivered as he stared at Kageyama angrily. Then, before Tsukki could prepare his heart, the smaller boy turned back to him with glistening eyes. “I didn’t,” he said, firm, followed by a less confident: “Did I?”

Tsukishima swallowed, unable to look away from Hinata’s large, pleading eyes. 

_Oh, what the heck._

He nodded once.

Everyone’s mouth dropped, including Kageyama who looked genuinely confused. 

“See?” Hinata said, turning around to face his best friend. “I win!” 

Kageyama floundered about, desperately looking for something to say back to that, but nothing came. Hinata squeezed Tsukki’s hand and turned to flash him a lovesick smile.

“Idiot,” Tsukki mumbled into the hand with which he’d covered the lower half of his face so that the others wouldn’t see the amused twitch of his lips. 

Hinata chuckled. “Yeah, well now I’m _your_ idiot.”

Heat crept up Tsukki's neck. He felt it go to the tip of his ears. It wasn't fair. Hinata wasn't supposed to look so cute saying something that stupid, and Tsukki wasn't supposed to fall for any of it. And yet there they were, a fool and his idiot, holding hands under the moonlight on a boat with their friends. It was a cheesy portrait ripped straight out of a juvenile romance novel.

_What the hell has happened to me?_ Tsukki wondered vaguely. In the back of his mind, he could hear the cries and protests of his inner voice as it shriveled with agony, but then, like the sun rising on the horizon, Hinata’s laughter rang clearly into the night and drowned it out completely.

**Author's Note:**

> I've made a twitter account(@FruitofSorrow) if anyone is interested in semi-live updates for future Haikyuu fics. I haven't gotten any requests yet, but if any of you want to send some my way, that would be the place to do it. Message me or tweet at me. Whichever you prefer.  
> (๑°꒵°๑)･*♡


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